Corporate News
Vapes. Cocaine. Crystal Meth. PFAS.
All of these products and substances are or will be subject to regulation and enforcement. The Australian Furniture Association (AFA) recently completed a significant piece of work investigating the role of chemicals in furniture and the importance of considering the...
VALE John Halkett – Industry Legend
The death of industry dynamo John Halkett has sent ripples of shock and sadness across the forest and forest products sector in Australia, New Zealand and internationally. The Australian Furniture Association is deeply saddened to learn that one of its greatest allies...
The Victorian Manufacturing Showcase is coming in November!
The Victorian Manufacturing Showcase 2023 (VMS2023) will take place on Tuesday, 21 November, at the Moonee Valley Racing Club hosted by the Victorian Government, in partnership with NORTH Link. The showcase will shine a spotlight on the future of advanced...
Building a better future: The Resurgence of Australian Manufacturing
The Australian Furniture Association are proud supporters of the Australian manufacturing industry and are actively campaigning with various projects to ensure that the industry not only survives, but thrives – now and for future generations. Many AFA Member...
Nominate Now: Australia’s Most Innovative Manufacturers
Australia’s Most Innovative Manufacturers – Great friends of the AFA, AU Manufacturing, are on the hunt for leading innovative companies.
Australia in Top 3 Asia-Pacific Robotic Process Automation Adoption
The Robotic Process Automation market is witnessing significant growth, driven by its ability to automate manual, repetitive, and rule-based tasks while reducing costs and improving efficiency. The Australian Furniture Association is monitoring advances that will...
Furniture Company Collapses Into Liquidation
A troubled Australian online furniture retailer has recently gone into liquidation leaving thousands of consumers without their paid for products. The Australian Furniture Association is adamant that AFA Member companies are not involved in the collapse, sighting...
Furniture Company Collapses Into Liquidation – AFA Members Edition
A troubled Australian online furniture retailer has recently gone into liquidation leaving thousands of consumers without their paid for products. The Australian Furniture Association is adamant that AFA Member companies are not involved in the collapse, sighting...
Policy. Legislation. Regulation. Know the Law
The NSW EPA has released its Climate Change Policy and Action Plan 2023-26. Australian Furniture Association Members wanting to familiarise themselves with these changes can visit the links below.
Victorian Fair Jobs Code Impacts on Procurement
The Victorian Fair Jobs Code has been launched and important changes will affect the way the Australian Furniture industry does business with the Victorian Government, a move strongly supported by the Australian Furniture Association (AFA). The Fair Jobs Code (the...
Digital Jobs for Manufacturing – Victoria
Applications are now open for the Digital Jobs for Manufacturing program. The program aims to upskill workers in the manufacturing sector. The Australian Furniture Association (AFA) urges Victorian manufacturers, who are eligible, to access fully subsidised,12-week...
$6.92B Black Friday spending frenzy predicted by retailers – furniture amongst top 5 products
The Australian Retailers Assoc (ARA) is forecasting pre-Christmas Black Friday sales are set to provide retailers with strong results with sales predicted to reach a record $6.2 billion over the four-day Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend (Friday 25 November to Monday...
Timber shortages, global challenges and top tips to mitigate risks with importing conflict timber
Timber shortages, global challenges and top tips to mitigating any risks associated with importing conflict timber with John Halkett from the Australian Timber Importers Federation
Australian Furnishing Industry Current State of Play
No one knows the Australian Furnishing Industry better than you, but how can we help make it better? Have your say here…
Action on the Furnishing Industry Skill Shortage
It is not an industry secret that we are currently experiencing challenging times. Navigating the most significant gap between work volumes and availability of skilled labour to date. Without immediate intervention, we can not see our shared low labour woes arresting.
Why “fast fashion” runs rampant in the furniture sector
The Australian Furniture Association (AFA) was successful in securing a federally funded grant on product stewardship early in 2022. Design of Commercial Furniture for the Circular Economy – Furniture 360 – will unpack how the furniture industry will address the...
Furniture 360 Briefing – September 2022
Furniture 360 Project Leader, Mark Thomson, speaks with the Australian Furniture Association (AFA) head of Partnerships and Marketing Jason Ross about the Furniture 360 project. Jason Ross – Mark thank you for your time. Earlier this year you were appointed Project...
Commercial Furniture Design Strategies for 2030
In keeping with Australia’s carbon commitments for 2030,,the need to reduce Australian landfill and societal changes since COVID, Australian Commercial Furniture requires a transformational change to a circular economy . The AFA Furniture 360 Project has now developed design principles to enable such a transformation.
Discover the best practice when hiring and firing
Discover the best practice when hiring and firing with Richard Thompson from Archer Thompson Lawyers in this webinar…
Certification and Sustainable Forest Management
Forest and chain of custody certification is underpinned by sustainable forest management. Learn more from Matt de Jongh of Responsible Wood
SME Share of Government Spending Doubled
The federal government has dramatically boosted the share of government procurement earmarked for Australia’s small and medium sized businesses.
Preventing Sexual Harassment (Positive Duty on Employers)
The introductory session informs AFA members of some minimum standards that all organisations must follow to comply with the positive duty. The standards require actions to be taken to both prevent and respond to sexual harassment. Learn more from Richard Thompson of Archer Thompson Lawyers.
New laws would require employers to actively prevent sex harassment
Employers may be required to train staff to speak up about workplace sexual harassment with a view to preventing it, or at least intervene earlier, and deal with power imbalances without excluding women, under legislation committed to by the new Labor government.
Website Essentials
Building a website requires so much more than what meets the eye. It’s not just pretty pictures and clickable buttons, but a multitude of other factors that also provide the foundation for an effective website.
WA Premier flags potential use for COVID quarantine hub
The Western Australian government may consider alternative uses for the purpose-build COVID-19 quarantine facility that is still under construction in the Perth suburb of Bullsbrook.
Sexual harassment in the workplace
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has found that 72% of Australians have experienced sexual harassment in their workplace.
Queensland Government Grants up to 50K
AFA Members are eligible for AFA endorsement to apply for a single up-front payment of up to $50,000 for eligible QLD businesses.
Redundancy
Redundancy occurs when an employer decides they no longer need an employee’s job to be done by anyone and terminates their employment. The job itself, not the employee, becomes redundant.
Venue operators face increased litigation due to furniture related injuries.
Venue operators face increased litigation due to furniture related injuries. The AFA continues to assist a number of furniture industry businesses to manage litigious situations. The increase in insurance claims is due to the lack of understanding by venue operators...
NO. YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER.
But we’d love to have you. More and more, the AFA receives calls on a whole range of topics, but mostly from stakeholders seeking help or advice, usually related to a business crisis. Increasingly the caller has assumed they are an AFA Member, when they are not. What...